Did you ever think……that by not fully expressing your feelings/opinions/personality, you are doing a disservice to others?
…that by hiding out in your comfort zone you are diverting a unique responsibility?

Saying what you want,
Expressing how you feel,
Being who you are.

As a theory = hells yea.
As a practice = harder to do than it sounds.

Do you feel fully expressed in your life? Are you doing what you want to do?
(If you read my email earlier this week, perhaps you’ve already been mulling these questions over.)

So I bring this topic up today 1) because it's been on my mind and 2) because of tomorrow’s full moon in Aries, which in combination with other planetary happenings, is a special opportunity to shed your old skin, reinvent yourself, and be bold in the face of change. (I’ll share an astrological resource below if you’d like to learn more.)

If you’re like me and have a tendency to worry about how what you do might affect others, or to worry if you’ll be judged by them, this could be an extra special opportunity for you. This “people-pleasing disease” unfortunately affects many of us, and is probably one of the reasons why more people aren’t out there unabashedly making art.

I remember the incredible fear and excitement that came up for me when I posted my first dance video to YouTube. I felt the need to express myself freely and anonymously, to dance because I wanted to – not because someone was telling me to. It was an outlet that was all my own, and without consciously doing so, it became a practice ground for expressing myself more freely and openly in all areas of my life.

That’s the power that I have discovered in the creative process, and it’s why I’m inspired to write this blog every week.

Dance and the various creative projects I’ve been involved with over the years have always mirrored my life in some way and helped me navigate through things and make sense of life. Some examples: I danced on stage as a butterly in Le Papillon in the last year of my formal ballet training, which freed me to move on to the next phase of my career and education. A few years ago I performed my own burlesque-inspired version of the dying swan dance from Swan Lake, which helped me shed confining layers that were holding me back from feeling free. Every dance video I’ve made has also had some reason or significance – even if I didn’t realize it at the time.

Tomorrow I will have the honor of dancing in a garden as part of a friend’s wedding ceremony, helping to shift the mood from cocktail hour to the reception area. It’s a dance of transition and commitment, two themes that have been extremely prominent for me in recent months. Once again, no one is telling me what to do here, it’s up to me how I want to create and perform this piece. It’s an opportunity to express myself in the name of love!

It would probably be much easier to not do these kinds of performances, but what’s easy does not help the soul evolve. Creating and expressing does. At least in my experience it does.

If you’re up for the challenge that the full moon brings, tell me:

How will you express yourself this weekend?
What are you standing for?

Start by sharing it here. Express yourself right here, in the comment box below. You might even want to share a video or a link to something you created.

And remember: Don’t ask for permission. Don’t shy away from who you are. It wouldn’t be fair to the community and world around you who really truly want to see you in all your glory, unapologetic, for all that you are.

saying it and meaning it,
jess

p.s. Take a dive deeper into your creative self with me in 2 weeks. Details here.